Take Care
by hawlzy
Summary: How the middle child carried the burden of the Potter name.


This was the going to be the second in my series about all the Potter children (although I thought I was going to do Weasley also I'm not sure, I haven't really gotten any inspiration from them. A Teddy Lupin one might be the compromise). It was supposed to be a one shot but started to get longer and longer and longer that it's probably be at least three chapters. For those who wanted a continuation of Scorpius/Lily you do get to see them again here (I'm actually more in love with Scorpius's and Albus's bromance than Albus and Lux's story in this chapter, I don't even know how that happened) and you will see Scorpius and Lily once more when I do James' one shot (I already have an excellent idea for it, the sad part is that it completely relies on the ending of Albus's story to start so I MUST finish this one before I get to James). Anyway I hope you enjoy, please be kind a review. On the final not this is who I imagine the new generation to be

Lily Potter - Cinita Dicker

Scoripus Malfoy - Erik Karlsson (I don't even like hockey but this guy is so ridiculously good looking it's insane)

Albus Potter - Sam Clafin

Lux Aubrey - Emilia Clark

Albus could already feel the sweat on his hands as he grabbed his coat. He wiped his palms on his jeans and could feel the sweat spring back up immediately. Why did he get so nervous about this whole thing. Every other weekend for the past year he had made this trip. He should be use to this whole routine, this whole bizarre life, but he wasn't. He ran a hand through his hair and then remembered that it had just taken him twenty minutes to flatten it down. He told himself that it didn't matter, that it didn't matter how he looked. He looked at the clock, he would be ten minutes early if he left right now. Was it bad if he showed up early? Did he look eager or did he look like he was trying to hard? Albus felt sick to his stomach and started to pace the length of his flat. He should just go now he told himself. There's nothing wrong with being early he told himself. He stopped his pacing and took a few deep breaths before he pictured the cottage tucked away in the countryside, and then with a tiny pop he disappeared.

The overwhelming scent of summer was the first thing that he noticed. The cottage's garden was overflowing with flowers of all different kinds. The next thing he noticed was that the jacket was a mistake. Who wears a sport coat in June away. He was shrugging out of the jacket when the cottage door burst open.

"Dah," the tiny figure yelled and toddled as fast as he could across the garden.

Albus forgot about his jacket and dropped it on the grass, and ran toward the tiny figure. He picked up the little boy who still felt as light as a feather but was still noticeably growing. Albus knew that he was missing so much.

"Hey, kiddo," Albus said kissing his son's head. He grabbed Rafe beneath his armpits and sung him around, his son giggled uncontrollably. Al had the biggest smile on his face, nothing matter and the world blurred around him and all he saw was his son. That is until the blur of the landscape added another figure. Al slowed, feeling slightly dizzy from the spinning. He hoisted Rafe so that he sat on his hip.

"Dah," Rafe said again, giving Al the biggest semi toothy grin he had ever seen.

"Hello, Albus," the figure standing at the gate said.

"Lux," he said walking towards her. He had known Lux Aubrey his entire life. Lux Aubrey had been his best friend his entire life. She had been his best friend until he had gotten her pregnant almost three years ago.

"I thought we'd go to the creek today, how does that sound, munchkin," Al said lifting a hand to ruffle Rafe's black hair. Of course Rafe was his spitting image, it must drive Lux made to have to look at me every single day, Albus thought. "Go find us some wrackspurts," Albus said with a lopsided smile looking up at Lux, searching her face to make him think she recognized their inside joke. Lux's face remained impassive, her blue eyes that had always danced with laughter before now never danced with laughter for him.

Rafe started to wiggle in Al's arms so he placed him on the ground, taking hold of his hand in the process.

"Mah," Rafe said running towards Lux and gripped Rafe's hand before he could slip away.

"Come on buddy, just you and me," Al said grabbing Rafe up by his armpits and swinging him through the air once more.

"Just have him home by sundown," Lux said approaching the two of them. Rafe reached out his arms for his mother as she approached. "Be good for your...dad," Lux said the smile strained on her face as she kissed Rafe quickly on the top of his black hair. She looked up at Al, and his eyes extended the invitation, the invitation for her to join them.

"I'll see you when you get back," she said and walked back towards the cottage. Lux hated to have to look into Al's eyes and deny him. He didn't understand that she had made herself stop loving him a long time ago, and it too every ounce of her control to make that love stay dead.

Albus watched her retreating figure before turning attention back towards to his son. "Let's go, buddy,"

The sun was sinking fast as Al made his way back towards the cottage, Rafe on his shoulder fast asleep. Albus felt that he was going to pass out also, just keeping up with Rafe was almost as exhausting as quidditch practice. He hated and loved this part of the day with Rafe. It made him feel like the father that he was carrying his sleeping child on his shoulder. He hated it because soon he would lay his son down in his bed, his son's mother would not say more than ten words to him and he would go home to his empty flat.

The cottage came into view always faster than he expected it to. His heartbeat sped up and he shifted Rafe's weight on his shoulder. He opened the latch on the gate and made his way quietly up the cobblestoned walkway toward the door. He opened the door to the cottage as quietly as he could but no Lux rushed to meet him. Albus figured she hadn't heard them enter, so he simply made his way to Rafe's nursery. Albus had enchanted the ceiling on his first time he came to see his son. It seemed like such an insignificant gift to give his son, who was close to a year old when he had finally met him. Albus had always wanted his ceiling to be enchanted when he was little, it made him feel a little closer to his son knowing that he was giving Rafe something he had always wanted.

Albus laid down Rafe gently in his crib. He was almost too big for it, and would soon be sleeping in a bed. The thought blew his mind. Rafe's thumb instantly went into his mouth, and Albus smiled rubbing his back gently. Albus turned down the lamps and the stars on the ceiling glinted brightly. Albus sat down in the rocking chair in the corner thinking that he would go and find Lux in a minute, he just wanted to rest his feet.

"Albus, Albus," the gentle voice said and he could feel a hand shaking his shoulder. His groggy mind slowly woke up and he realized whose voice it was and whose hand it was. He opened his eyes and Lux was kneeling before him. "You should go," she said not even giving him a chance to fully wake before kicking him out.

She stood and walked over to Rafe's crib and took a blanket to cover him. Al rubbed his eyes trying to wake up a little more. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to fall asleep, I meant to come and find you," Al said standing but not joining her by the crib.

"You need to go," she said again not turning towards him.

"Lux..." he began. Why was it so hard to talk to her now. Three years ago he told Lux everything, Lux knew every fear, thought, and hope he had. She shared most of his memories.

"Albus please just go," she said turning towards him finally.

"I just want to talk, Lux," he said holding up his hands already in a defensive motion.

She studied him for a minute before walking out of Rafe's room. Albus followed behind her and quietly pulled Rafe's door closed. He followed her to the kitchen where she raised her wand and started to do the dishes that were piled in the sink.

"I want you to change Rafe's last name," Albus said in one breath. "I want his last name to be Potter,"

Lux lowered her wand and the dishes sank back into the sink with a clash. She turned toward him. "If I had wanted him to be acknowledged as your son I would have named him Potter. I want his last name to be Aubrey I don't want him to be acknowledged by you,"

"He's a spitting image of me, Lux, if I don't acknowledge him the rest of the world will," Al said holding his temper in check. He had always been the most soft spoken of his siblings, but when it came to the matter of his son and Lux he found the hot blood that ran through his mother's veins.

"He could be anyone's son. There are lots of boys with black hair and green eyes," she said fiercely.

"Those eyes are Lily Potter's eyes! Those eyes are Harry Potter's eyes! Those are my eyes and they are famous," Albus said feeling the bubble of his temper burst. "Everyone in the wizarding world knows those eyes,"

"Oh so just because you're some quidditch star and because your father is a big deal you think you have the most recognizable eyes in the wizarding world. You're so full of yourself you make me sick," Lux shot back.

She hated knowing that he was right. She hated knowing that anyone could take one look at that boy and know that he was Potter. She hated him for it and she loved him for it.

"I feel sorry for you. One day someone is going to come along and burst that perfect little bubble that you live in. You will realize that the world does not revolve around you. God you're selfish," Lux spat.

"You think I'm selfish? Oh that's rich coming from you. You kept my son from me for an entire year. I'm surprised you even told me at all,"

"I couldn't tell you because all you cared about was winning the stupid World Cup and riding the wave of fame. God all you cared about what winning that dumb game,"

"Because I had to prove myself! I had to prove that I wasn't just put on the team because of who my father is! I tried to tell you but you never listened!" Albus finally screamed at her. "You of all people had to know that I had to prove that," he said more calmly. His chest was heaving as if he had just run miles.

"Don't make me into the bad guy," Lux said looking as if someone had just slapped her. "You need to leave now," Lux said turning back to the sink.

Albus stood there, watching her. Everything had gotten so out of hand and it was all his fault. He had been drunk when he and Lux had slept together. He had just made the English national team. Everything was falling in place, and everything was falling apart. He tried not to look at what the Daily Prophet printed. His mother couldn't believe what some of her colleagues printed about him making the team. Harry Potter was one of the most loved, and respected men in the wizarding world, but that didn't excuse him from the fame. It was far too easy for reporters to prey on Albus.

When he had woken up in the morning, and seen Lux in his bed, her golden hair spilling across his pillow and her pink lips parted, he ran. He couldn't face her. He knew that their friendship had been ruined, that it could never go back to what it once had been.

"I'm sorry, Lux," Albus said quietly. "I just wanted him to have something of mine, something that we could share," Albus waited for her to respond and when she didn't he walked to where his coat hung next to the door and shrugged it on.

"But he'll always be yours and you're right, everyone will know that he's yours,"

Albus turned back to look at her and for the first time noticed that her shoulders were shaking. He stepped toward her, cautiously and slowly. He laid his hand on her shoulder lightly, and felt it shake underneath his touch.

"When you first told me about Rafe, you said you couldn't explain why you kept it all a secret. Is this why? You thought I would steal him away," Al said quietly.

"No, I thought that you wouldn't want him," Lux said turning around. "You didn't want me, why would you have wanted me to have him?" Her tears had made trails down her cheeks. "Please, Albus, let's not do this right now. I just want you to leave," she said choking back more tears.

Albus kept his hand on her shoulder, and got lost in her eyes. How much they had both changed since their time at Hogwarts. This was the life that he had always envisioned for himself. He hadn't been the best student but he had loved quidditch, it was something that he got to share with his dad. What he hadn't envisioned in this was being lonely. He had moved to a flat in London because he thought he was sick of the tiny town of Godric's Hollow. He had moved away from his family, and although they were always a second away, he still felt cut off from their lives. He had his teammates but no one he was particularly close to.

He removed his hand from Lux's shoulder, and gave her one more probing look, but she refused to meet his eyes. Without saying anything else, he disappeared. He materialized in front of the well worn door. He pushed it open and hung up his jacket. He could hear footsteps coming from the second floor but he made his way to the kitchen. He found his brother in law, Scorpius Malfoy sitting at the table drinking a cup of tea and reading the Daily Prophet.

"Hello, Albus," Scorpius said looking briefly from what he was reading. If anyone had told Albus when he was still in Hogwarts that two years ago he would find out that his little sister and Scorpius Malfoy had fallen in love and were dead set on getting married regardless of what either family thought, Albus would have thought that person belonged in St. Mungos. But here they were, married and happy. Albus and Scoripus had been in the same year at Hogwarts, and despite James' over dramatic reaction to the news, Albus had no problems with the Slytherin. Scorpius had always kept to himself and those in his house during their time at Hogwarts. Al wouldn't say that Scorpius keeping to himself had made him a snob, Albus thought that Scorpius was just trying to do the same thing that he was, survive their fathers' famous names.

"Hey," Albus said sitting down at the table, and eating one of the cookies that had been left on a plate in the center of the table. He chewed quietly for a few moments.

"How did you do it," Albus asked finally, looking at Scorpius. "How did you not let your father's name suffocate you?"

Scorpius lowered the Daily Prophet and folded it before meeting Albus's eyes. "I don't think I did. I don't think I ever will, really. I think I just came to understand that I'm not the same person as my father, and anyone who believes that is no one that I want to be associated with." he said.

"So you just ignore all the bad that people say about you and him?"

"What else can I do? You have the very fortunate case of having a father who will only become more famous with time, and who will only be loved. My father is not loved and can only hope to not do anything else to shame the family name. He was on the wrong side and he lost. There is no worse fate," Scorpius said.

Albus was quiet for a moment, "But I'll never be able to live up to my father," he said quietly. He looked up and met Scorpius's eyes. The funny thing is that he had never spoken to James about his fears. Even though they carried a burden more similar than he and Scorpius, Albus had the feeling that his brother wouldn't understand.

"You have a family who loves you, and have found your passion in life. At the end of the day it's simply you getting over that fear and learning not to listen to what people who don't matter say about you," Scorpius said with a final shrug of his head. Albus nodded silently considering Scorpius's words.

"Albus!" his sister Lily called from the door. He stood from the table and embraced her in a hug.

"Hello trouble maker," he said giving her a quick peck on the top of her head.

"Hello Al, I didn't know you were stopping by tonight," his mother said coming to embrace him.

"Oh yeah, just on my way home and decided to pop in," Albus said giving his mother a kiss on the cheek. "Dad's not around is he?"

"No he's still at work, staying later than usual," Ginny said glancing at the clock on the wall. "Did you need him for something,"

"Oh no, just wanted to say hi," Albus said shrugging. "Well I have to get home, I have an early morning," he said.

"I'll walk you out," Scorpius said standing. Both Ginny and Lily gave him an odd look but Albus figured that Scorpius had something to add.

They made their way to the front hallway and Albus shrugged on his coat. Scorpius was hesitating, with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He glanced back towards the kitchen door where Ginny and Lily were now seated at the table, and then nodded to the front door. They stepped outside into the crisp summer air.

"I don't know how to say this, and I don't want to offend you," Scorpius said after a few moments. "I have an estate in Wiltshire, and well I saw Lux Aubrey in the village there the other day,"

Immediately Albus tensed where he stood before Scorpius. He knew that Scorpius saw the change in his body language. He tried to relax but he couldn't.

"Well...it's just that she had a boy with her," Scorpius said timidly. Albus finally met Scorpius's eyes, and in that instant Albus knew he had given away the secret. "I didn't even know that she lived up there. I didn't even know that she had a son..." Scorpius trailed off. "I don't even know what good I thought it would be bringing it up. I just felt like it's too big of a secret for me to know without you knowing I know. I'm assuming I'm the only one who knows?"

"Yes, and Lux would probably prefer for it to stay that way. No wonder why she was so upset when I asked her to change his name tonight," Albus said lost in his thoughts about what it meant that at least three people now knew the secret of Rafe Aubrey.

Scorpius let out a long breath, and looked up into the sky for more than a few moments. "How are you handling it?" he asked.

Albus shrugged, "I'm just am," he replied, "I have this son who I've only known about for year. I have no relationship with his mother, I've lost the friendship that I had with her. She refuses to let me to tell anyone. I think today we had a break through, she thinks I'm going to take him away from her,"

There were silent a few more moments, "I should get going," Albus said turning to Scorpius and extending his hand. "I'm glad to have you as a brother,"

"As am I," Scorpius replied gripping Albus's hand. Scorpius released Albus's hand and felt the overwhelming appreciation to be a part of this family. There was an inescapable sense of sadness in this statement for both boys, now men, felt that though they had many things to be grateful for in their lives, their burdens would forever weigh them down.


End file.
